Social Activities
A range of social events will take place throughout the week at NAM2026, providing opportunities to connect with colleagues, exchange ideas, and enjoy Birmingham’s vibrant atmosphere. Each evening offers a different experience, whether you are looking to network, catch up with friends, or simply relax after a long day of talks. Explore the events below and make the most of your conference experience by joining some of our exciting social events.
Welcome Reception (Sunday 19th July)
The NAM26 welcome reception will be held on Sunday the 19th of July from 18:00. Please join us in the Teaching and Learning Centre for an evening of drinks and mingling.
Quiz Night (Monday 20th July)
Want to flex your knowledge of trivia, obscure facts, pop culture, music and beyond? Team up with colleagues from your institution or join forces with other quiz whizzes from across the community and take on the NAM Quiz 2026. Hosted by resident quiz masters Andrés and
Jenni, this event promises fun, challenging and creative quiz rounds. Please sign up in advance using the form below to help us gauge numbers.
Once NAM has begun, you can sign up at reception, or walk-ins are welcome!
Please contact Andrés Ponte Pérez (aip981@student.bham.ac.uk) or Jenni French (j.french.4@bham.ac.uk) if you have any questions.
Lapworth Museum of Geology (Monday 20th July)
A guided tour of the Lapworth Museum of Geology will be offered on Monday at 6:30pm. It will last approximately 1.5 hours and costs £6
per person, payable at the museum. The visit includes the museum galleries as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the stores and archives.
A minimum of 25 participants is required for the tour to go ahead. Places are limited to 60 participants and will be allocated on a first-come,
first-served basis. We will contact registered participants closer to the conference to confirm whether the tour will take place.
To register, please complete the sign-up form here
The museum is also free to visit throughout the conference, and conference attendees are welcome to explore it at their own pace between 10am and 5pm on any day.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Just a 30-minute walk from the University campus, the city's beautiful Botanical Gardens offer a perfect opportunity to relax and explore. Open daily, the
gardens feature stunning landscapes, making them an ideal destination after a day of research presentations and networking. Admission is £10 per person, and no advance booking is required.
Please note that the last entry is at 5:30 pm, with the gardens closing at 6:00 pm.
Football Tournament (Tuesday 21st July)
The 2026 instalment of the renowned NAM football tournament will be held on the Bournbrook 3G sports pitches on Tuesday 21st July!
The tournament will take place across four pitches and will kick off at 18:30. 5-a-side teams playing will first play in a round-robin group phase, with the top 2 teams from each group proceeding to a pair of semi-finals and a medal match. The champion will cement their place in the annals of NAM history, with their team's name engraved on the NAM Cup!
Everyone is welcome, regardless of skill level or footballing ability – please come along and have fun! Teams representing institutions are encouraged, but if your institution does not have a team, please sign-up as an individual and we will form teams on the day. This is a great way to make new friends and connections! If you are unsure about playing, please come along to spectate and cheer on the teams!
Specific details about the length and number of matches will be finalised once sign-ups are confirmed. To help us organise this, please sign up in advance using the form below (only one person needs to fill out the form for a full/partial team):
We encourage appropriate footwear and kit. We will provide footballs, bibs and whistles. A Birmingham representative will guide anyone who wants to walk down (it is an approximately 10-minute walk), leaving at around 6pm from the Teaching and Learning Building (we will confirm on the day). There is also parking (including disabled parking) available next to the pitches.
Please contact Andrés Ponte Pérez (aip981@student.bham.ac.uk) if you have any questions.
Netball Tournament (Tuesday 21st July)
We are hosting a netball tournament on the courts on campus from ~6:30-10:00pm. We encourage teams of mixed gender and ability to participate – all skill levels are welcome! We will provide an overview of the rules for those unfamiliar at the start of the session. Please sign up here - you can sign up as a whole team (7 players), part of a team, or just individually. If you are singing up a full/partial team, only one person needs to fill in the form as the primary contact. For those without a full team we will sort you into one. Please bring appropriate clothing and footwear (sportswear + trainers), and snacks!
Please contact Maddy Scott (mgs947@student.bham.ac.uk) or Yasmin Davis (yxd280@student.bham.ac.uk) if you have any questions.
Great Debate and Radium Screening (Tuesday 21st July)
Join us to debate the future of the far side of the Moon, and watch a screening of a new astronomy-inspired audio-visual artwork, Radium: A Song Cycle. Following complimentary refreshments, leading experts will debate the proposition “The far side of the Moon shall be preserved solely for scientific endeavours”, with audience voting before and after the debate. The evening concludes with an exclusive screening of excerpts from Radium, followed by a Q&A with the composer. The event takes place from 18:30–21:00 in the Teaching and Learning Building (same as the conference venue). The event is free to attend, but advance registration is required. For full details and
to reserve your place, please visit the registration page
The Sound of Gravitational Waves at Helios (Wednesday 22nd July)
Celebrate a decade of gravitational-wave discovery through an evening of science and music. Researchers and musicians will take you on a
journey through the world of gravitational waves, combining accessible talks with live musical performances inspired by these ripples in spacetime. Before
the event, attendees will have the opportunity to explore Helios, the spectacular large-scale artwork and accompanying exhibition. The event takes
place from 18:00–20:30 at The Exchange, Centenary Square (B1 2DR) in Birmingham city centre. For full details and to reserve your place, please visit the
Conference Dinner (Thursday 23rd July)
The NAM conference dinner and RAS awards ceremony will be on Thursday the 23rd of July in the University of Birmingham’s Great Hall on the Edgbaston
campus, around 2 minutes’ walk from the conference centre. We will start the evening with a drinks reception at 6:30pm followed by dinner from 7pm.
Tickets cost £50 and can be purchased from the registration portal. Conference registration is not required to attend. Please select Fee waiver (Day) during checkout to purchase a ticket without registration and write ‘Conference dinner ticket’ in the fee waiver justification box.